Cost of Living in KL

Your question is almost impossible to answer because it depends on  your personal choices for the standard of living you want.

Rental in downtown KLCC will be from about RM 2,800 per month upwards (a studio might cost around RM 1.5k in some buildings such as Maytower which are a bit out of the centre - bearing in mind that master room rentals are RM 1-1.5k per month). There are cheaper areas to live which are a few train stations away from KLCC - check out what is available at sites such as iproperty and property guru searching on KLCC or Bukit Bintang. Utilities, internet and phone will be RM 500 (as long as you don't want heavy usage of air con), transport (depends if you want to hire a car which would cost from RM 1500 per month) will be around RM 300 if using train/bus, food will depend on whether it is vegetarian diet or not (from RM 500 per person per month). Nightlife tends to be quite expensive with prices rising as the night progresses.

You can check out some price comparisons at Expatistan and Numbeo. The minimum salary to even get a professional position and have dependents is RM 5k, so that sort of sets the scene on what is required. If you have children then school fees are from about RM 2k per month per child, so it all begins to mount up.

Hi there,  What would be the costing for a single working person renting a one bedroom apartment in KLCC (Bingjia 08 Condo) behind Ampang Park LRT.

My Rent: 2,600/m
Electricity: ?
Water:       ?
Internet:     ?
Wash/dryer?                                    ( once a week)
Cable TV    ?                                    (standard channels, with some English news etc) ??

Many thanks, Ken

Electricity can range from about RM50 per month to RM1500 if you want to use aircon/clothes dryer a lot. Water is cheap at a basic tariff of RM6 per month if there is a meter and billed from Syabas. Some condo's make their own charges so ask. Internet starts at about RM150 per month upwards, depending on the speed which is required. TIME is the fastest, but you need to check if their service is available in the building where you wish to live. Astro is the main supplier of TV packages. There are frequently offers so check out Internet/TV packages from MAXIS, TIME, ASTRO and TM. The channels will vary widely. Usually sports  packages are extra. Expect to spend around RM200-250 per month for internet/tv. If you are thinking of going to a laundrette to wash your clothing, sheets, etc. there is none in KLCC area. There are numerous laundry services. Note that the standard contract for internet and TV are 2 yrs but you can pay an installation fee and then get a 1 year contract. The ballpark figure for cancelling services earlier is about RM500. Also remember with your housing contract to include a break clause in case you have to leave for any reason. The contracts are legally binding otherwise, so if you sign up for 1 or 2 years, then legally you are required to continue paying the rent for that period, regardless.

Thanks a lot for detailed clarification.

Regards to electric bill, my usage would be approx. 10 hours a day with aircon as morning / afternoon I will be at work and washdryer in condo and to be used one a week. So should I expect approx. 200 RM?

TV channels, I would like some local channels, AlJazera News, Japan NTN News, perhaps CNN or BBC.

Thanks a lot.

I would say you should expect your bill could be upwards of RM500 if you are using aircon in the evenings and while you sleep.

Do be aware that the local TV channels are not in English. Astro has CNN and BBC World and other news channels, so does TM. Basically the two TV providers here are TM and ASTRO and the others franchise their services. So check those two to find the type of channels you want.

Appreciate your comments. Well, electricity is expensive here in KL! lol.

Presently I am in Bangkok and same amount of aircon usage, my electricity never goes beyond 180 RM.

Once again thanks.

We also have to pay 6% tax on consumption over a basic minor amount.  Work on a rate of RM 0.435 per kWH plus tax.

The figure I gave earlier came from my own bilI but have now looked up the official rates at TNB:

TARIFF CATEGORY    UNIT    CURRENT RATE (1 JAN 2014)
1.    Tariff A - Domestic Tariff
For the first 200 kWh (1 - 200 kWh) per month    sen/kWh    21.80
For the next 100 kWh (201 - 300 kWh) per month    sen/kWh    33.40
For the next 300 kWh (301 - 600 kWh) per month    sen/kWh    51.60
For the next 300 kWh (601 - 900 kWh) per month    sen/kWh    54.60
For the next kWh (901 kWh onwards) per month    sen/kWh    57.10
The minimum monthly charge is RM3.00